Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
How Do I Want to Show Up- A Story
A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked her daughter.
“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Here’s my hope for you: May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything—they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
Have a wonderful week!

The Power of Poetry in the Spirit of MLK Week
Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes:
Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes – Poems | poets.org

Omicron Is In Retreat. What’s Next?
The Morning: Omicron is in retreat (nytimes.com)
Free Covid Tests for Your Family:
COVIDtests.gov – Free at-home COVID-19 tests

The Quickest Way To Change How You Feel Is To Change How You Think:
The Quickest Way To Change How You Feel Is To Change How You Think – The Best Brain Possible
Ode to Winter:
Wondrous!

45 Puns That Make Me Laugh Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I’ve Seen Them
Go on, have some pun!
45 Puns That Make Me Laugh Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I’ve Seen Them (buzzfeed.com)
If you are local and an NCPC member…
Introducing Mentoring 2.0:
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North County Philanthropy Council | 760-729-6711 | PO Box 1641, Carlsbad, CA 92018 |
18th Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium- Jan 27th, 2022:
Join us if you can…
18th Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium Tickets, Thu, Jan 27, 2022 at 8:00 AM | Eventbrite
Thanks this week go to Bob C, Angelica G-W, Manuelita B, Marlaine C, Wayne O, Ken D and the NCPC team.
Please pay it forward with purpose!
Love,
Neville
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“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love”
Dr. Martin Luther King